Rawalpindi Division

The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) is stepping up enforcement against illegal housing schemes, issuing final notices to non-compliant projects and preparing to seek the disconnection of their electricity and gas supplies. The RDA’s Metropolitan Planning and Traffic Engineering Directorate has developed the enforcement strategy in coordination with its Enforcement Squad, according to official sources. The plan targets unauthorized residential developments operating without approved layouts and required clearance certificates. Under the proposed action, the authority will write to the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), recommending that utility connections to illegal schemes be disconnected. The RDA has also instructed developers, builders and housing scheme managements to register on its Housing Scheme Management System (HSMS) portal within the stipulated timeframe. Those who fail to comply could face legal proceedings, the sealing of site offices and the demolition of unauthorized structures. The authority plans to issue public notices warning citizens against investing in unapproved housing projects. It has urged prospective buyers to verify a scheme’s legal status through the RDA’s official website before purchasing residential or commercial property.

The opening of Rawalpindi Ring Road to traffic has been delayed by at least another month as construction continues on toll plazas and weighing stations, according to a senior district administration official. The official said the provincial government would announce an inauguration date after the remaining facilities were completed. The work could take a month or longer, as construction and installation are still under way and procurement of weighing equipment has not been completed. Authorities plan to establish eight weighing stations to measure heavy vehicles and calculate their toll charges. Construction is expected to take two to three weeks, after which teams will install the weighing machines. The Punjab Ring Road Authority will then need about two weeks to install the Intelligent Transportation System and Electronic Toll Collection system. Sensors will weigh trucks and determine the toll payable. Toll plaza booths are also being built at Baanth and Thalian. The official said the road would open to both heavy and light traffic once the facilities became operational. Offices for the Punjab Ring Road Authority and residential accommodation for its officials are also being established. Work on the Thalian interchange is expected to start after the road opens, with completion targeted for December, the official said. The Ring Road has a design speed of 120 kilometres per hour, six lanes, controlled access, five interchanges and a 90-metre right of way. Its infrastructure includes bridges over the Soan and Sill rivers, 12 bridges across nullahs and roads, a railway bridge near Baanth and 11 overpasses. The project’s original plan, developed during the PTI government, envisaged a 68-kilometre route. Work was halted following a financial scandal, after which authorities approved a revised 38.3-kilometre alignment from Baanth to Thalian. Then-prime minister Imran Khan laid the project’s foundation stone in March 2022. The Pakistan Democratic Movement government later suspended the project temporarily, then authorized work after a third-party validation of the revised route. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif laid the foundation stone at Rawat on August 8, 2023.

After a year without launching a road rehabilitation project, the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has proposed a Rs 68.98 million scheme to repair roads and improve related infrastructure across the garrison city. An RDA official said the authority had focused over the past year on the Rs 47 billion Rawalpindi Ring Road project, while other road development plans remained pending. The Punjab government did not approve two proposed projects: the expansion of Murree Road from Committee Chowk to Chandni Chowk, and the repair of the section between Faizabad and Marrir Chowk. The RDA had also proposed rehabilitating Ch. Bostan Khan Road, from Chaklala Scheme-III to the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi Bench, but the local administration assigned the work to the Punjab Highway Department, the official said. A proposed underpass linking I.J. Principal Road with Double Road at Shamsabad was also not approved. The RDA subsequently began work on a commercial plaza and flats for its employees. The new proposal, titled “Framework Agreement for Rehabilitation/Repair of Roads, Footpaths, Storm Water Drains, Manholes and Road Marking at Different Roads of City,” includes repairs to roads, footpaths, storm-water drains and manholes, as well as road markings. Its estimated cost is Rs 68,983,836, including applicable taxes, and the stipulated completion period is 12 months. The official said a survey was under way to identify roads for rehabilitation. Old Airport Road and Rawal Road are expected to be among the priority locations because they require extensive repairs. The scheme will be sent to the Punjab government for approval. If it is approved, the RDA will prepare the PC-I, the official said. RDA spokesperson Mohammad Irfan confirmed that the authority planned to launch the road development scheme.